The Shear Space creator, Maddie Foote of Iona College, got to show her invention to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Fieldays 2025.
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This story by Kem Ormond was originally published on June 28.
Iona College is still buzzing from an incredible whirlwind Fieldays experience, where Year 13 Design Technology student Maddie Foote showcased her innovative project The Shear Space, to an appreciative audience.
This year was Foote’s second time exhibiting at the Fieldays Innovation Hub. Her new project evolved from the original Wool Be Studying concept exhibited in 2024.
The Shear Space is a naturally soundproofed environment designed as a quiet retreat to learn, work, and breathe, offering focus and tranquillity.
It’s an acoustic pod that’s 100% sustainable, featuring 100% New Zealand strong wool for acoustic insulation, a unique Birch plywood frame, and a flat-pack kitset design.
Foote said there had been so many highlights from this journey, even getting it to the Fieldays was a real feat, made possible by the amazing support received.
Foote’s meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was a highlight of the experience.
He commended her for being an advocate for the versatility of New Zealand’s strong wool as a high-performance, modern material for design and innovation.
Foote received a Highly Commended Award and a special judges’ mention for excellence.
Judges said the project showed “great promise from a young inventor with a passion for wool and architecture, blending a peaceful environment with sustainable NZ materials.”
Iona College principal Nicole Billante also praised Foote.
“I am exceptionally proud of the work that Maddie has put into this project, as well as the amazing effort of the staff here at Iona who helped her through the process.
“It is an outstanding final product and a testament to her entrepreneurial thinking and drive.”
What made you decide to design something from wool?
Wool is such a versatile and undervalued product in New Zealand, and I want to bring a new use for it to light.
This pod is one of the only ones on the market that uses wool as its acoustic insulator.
The average person would not know that wool absorbs sound.
This pod could be used in a lot of commercial and urban spaces, so it would be able to bring awareness to wool as a more versatile product.
Wool is temperature-controlled, breathable and durable - everything that plastic derived from fossil fuels is not.
It fits in well with the design of the pod, giving a sense of calm, warmth, and connection to nature.
It’s also biodegradable and fully sustainable, so it gives people a great chance to be more environmentally responsible.
What made you come up with the pod concept, and how long before you started the prototype?
I was inspired by the Wool Be Studying concept pod exhibited in 2024 and wanted to create a more functional and commercially viable design.
The journey to the prototype stage involved collaboration and meticulous design over a four-month period.
After mentioning my idea to an architect, they suggested that I do a timber skeleton.
I made a small-scale cardboard prototype where I played around with the wool to work out how I wanted to incorporate it.
I found that wrapping it around the outside (cloaking the pod in wool) was going to be the best way.
It took a while to get to the stage of the to-scale prototype; however, once I found that I wanted to work with the skeleton, it came together pretty quickly.
How did you go about designing it, and who produced the components for the pod?
Once I had the idea for a timber skeleton, I played around with some shapes and then made a cardboard model.
From this model, I worked out the shape that I wanted through lots of sketching and then measured around people, desks, and chairs to work out the size that it needed to be.
This detailed planning led to a crucial partnership with Jamie Jefferys from Axis, who is a professional CAD designer.
He helped me 3D model the pod in CAD.
We then laser-cut a to-scale prototype, and from there, we were able to work out all the small details before we cut the final prototype.
Where do you see it being set up, in a house, garage, or outside shed?
The Shear Space is a versatile solution for modern open-plan spaces, such as offices, libraries, or classrooms.
Most offices are open plan, which can have negative effects on productivity.
Therefore, The Shear Space would be able to provide a space for people to do things like take calls, participate in Zoom calls, or simply find a quiet place to escape the noise and distractions.
It’s also a great space for neurodivergent individuals to retreat to when they feel overstimulated in larger spaces.
The pod can be equipped with anything from a desk and chair to a bean bag and a TV or books lining the shelves.
It can go in any indoor space and serve almost any purpose.
How long does it take to assemble from a kitset form?
At the moment, it only takes about 15 minutes for one person to assemble the whole kit set with the wood and a few hours longer with the wool.
I’m currently in the process of making the wool application more efficient; however, it would be a very quick job for one or two people to do.
Are you going to keep working on your concept?
I hope so.
The pod is still a prototype and has some minor details that need to be improved; however, it is close to being scalable.
Where to from now?
The first thing I want to do is perfect the pod’s design and then make sure that it’s scalable and get it ready for the market.
At Fieldays, I received a number of commercial inquiries.
Following Fieldays, I have also received an offer regarding manufacturing and investment support.
Looking ahead, there are many factors to consider alongside my goal of studying architecture at university.
Do you have any advice for other students considering entering the Young Innovator Awards at Fieldays?